Gas holder



J. M. CROM GAS HOLDER Filed Jan. 30, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 w @M ,.YV.. m m a a om ...1... 1 w w n w ...A Im c .a., o J f l 8 4 pw /Q a# a f 0 M w if 7 a., a 4 -Ta May 18, 1948 Jv. M. cRoM 2,441,660

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Patented May 18, 1948 GAS HOLDER John M. Crom, Washington, D. C., assigner to The Preload Corporation, Boston,'Ma ss., a corporation of Massachusetts Application January 30, 1945, Serial No. 575,287

(Cl. ri- 177) claims. 1

This application is a continuation in part of my copending application Serial No. 469,081, led

December 15, 1942, now abandoned. The invention relatesto gas holders of the water-seal type embodying a tank together with telescopically arranged gas holding sections or units therein adapted to be elevated by increased volume of gas within the holder. Vertically extending guide rails are provided for supporting the units against lateral movement and the lateral pressure against these rails, particularly the wind pressure when the units are in elevated position, is quite substantial. Heretofore the guide rails have been supported on the tank which in turn has been required to sustain the lateral load placed on the rails. The primary object of my invention resides in the production of an improved gas holder in which' these rails are supported independently of the tank wall whereby relieving the latter of the lateral strain heretofore required to be sustained and leaving the tank free to breathe and move at any and all points without restraint from columns, brackets or other structural elements.

Heretofore, requirements have demanded that the gas holder tanks shall be constructed of steel or the like having suiiicient strength or flexibility to sustain the required lateral load pressures. A further object of my invention resides in the production of a new and improved gas holder in which means is provided for supporting the lateral load independently of the tank wall whereby permitting the tank to be constructed of concrete or equivalent less expensive and more available materials. The invention more particularly embodies the employment of guiding rails together with auxiliary rails cooperating therewith for giving lateral support to the said gas holding units, all spaced from and supported independently of the tank wall and leaving the tank a free standing unit. The production of such an improved gas holder comprises a. further object of the invention.

The above and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of preferred embodiments thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawing in which,

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a gas holder embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of a somewhat modified construction.

In the drawings I0 indicates a concrete foundation on which the gas holder is mounted. A tank I2, herein illustrated as constructed of concrete or Gunite and having its vertical wall prestressed under compression by reinforcing rods I4 extending therearound and covered by a cementitious coating I5, is supported on the foundation. Steel gas holding sections I6, including a centrally disposed bell I8, are mounted in the tank and normally rest on blocks 20 at the bottom of the tank, the sections having annular cups 22 on and around their bottom edges for cooperating with like inverted cups 24 on and extending around the upper edges of the sections I6.

Supported on the foundation independently of and spaced outwardly from the tank I2 are a plurality of steel guide rails 26 extending upwardly to a position beyond the top of the tank, the lower portion of each rail opposed to the tank preferably being parallel with the tank wall and the remaining upper portion being vertical. As illustrated in the drawings, the rails 26 extend sufliciently downward into the foundation at 21 to provide a firm and rigid support, it being understood that the foundation supporting the rails can be a part of the cementitious base I0 on which 30 the tank rests on an adjacent portion of earth or other material, Preferably cooperating with the rails 26 and in opposed relation thereto are auxiliary rails 28 supported on the base of the tank inwardly of and spaced from its side wall. These auxiliary rails extend to a height somewhat above the top of the tank and their top ends are rigidly connected to the rail 26 by structural elements shown as steel struts 30, whereby lateral thrust on the rails 26 is resisted by the combined strengths of the rails 26 and 28.

Gas' holding sections I6 and I8 have mounted on their top ends outwardly extending brackets 32 carrying rollers 34 on their free ends inA rolling contact with the vertical portion of the guide rails 26 above the tank whereby to guide the sections in their vertical movement and sustain the same against lateral movement. The rails can be provided with flanges 36 for maintaining the rollers in contact therewith. Upward movement of the outermost section I6 is limited by stops 38 carried on the rails 28.

It will be apparent that the invention can be modified from that illustrated and above described. For example, as illustrated in Fig. 4,

the inner rails 28 can be extended upwardly to form the guide rails for the gas holding Sections. and guide rails being engaged by rollers 34' on brackets 32'. Outer rails 26' of a height to be connected to the rails 28' by struts 30' above and adjacent to the top of the tank are provided to give lateral support to the rails 28', the rails 26 extending downwardly into the foundation at 21 to provide a tlrm and rigid support.

It is believed that the construction, operation and advantages of the invention as above described will be apparent. As gas is forcedinto the holder through the pipe lll the bell I8 and sections I6 will be elevated in proportion to the volume of gas therein. The tank is filled with water as illustrated in Fig. 1 and the water trapped in the cups 22 serves to provide a seal between the sections as the cups 22 and 24 interengage each other. The elevated section I6 and I8 are guided and supported laterally by the rails 26 or 28 which are firmly supported at 21 and 21' independently of the tank. The tank is thus not required to take this load and can therefore be constructed of concrete or other available or more economical material which would not be adaptable per se to the construction of a tank required to sustain the lateral load thrust from the gas holding sections. It is also pointed out that the tank wall should be a free standing unit free to breathe and move at any and all points without restraint from columns, brackets or other structural elements. and my invention provides such an improved construction.

Having thus described by invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A gas holder comprising a tank resting on a horizontal foundation and having a horizontally continuous wall extending upwardly therefrom, cooperating telescopically arranged gas holding sections therein including a centrally disposed bell, vertically extending guide rails disposed in spaced relation about and spaced from said wall, said rails being anchored in the foundation outside of the tank and extending upwardly beyond said wall and in no way deriving support therefrom, and means including brackets carried by the sections in guiding contact with the rails above the Wall.

2. A gas holder comprising a tank resting on a horizontal foundation and having a horizontally continuous wall extending upwardly therefrom, cooperating telescopically arranged gas holding sections therein including a centrally disposed bell, two series of vertically extending guide rails respectively inside and outside of the tank wall and spaced from the wall and in no way 4 Y deriving support therefrom, the inside and outside rails being disposed in pairs and in opposing relation and the pairs being disposed in spaced relation along said wall, the outside rails being anchored in the foundation outside of the tank and certain of the rails extending upwardly beyond the tank wall, structural members spaced above said wall and rigidly connecting together each pair of rails above the said wall, and guiding means carried by the sections and engaging the rails extending above the tank wall,

3. The gas holder deilned in claim 2 in which the outside rails extend upwardly beyond the tank wall and are engaged by the guiding means.

4. In a gas holder structure of the type including telescoping sections, an outer tank wall formed of concrete, said wall being of light construction and substantially of the same thickness at any point in a horizontal plane and devoid of any external reinforcing, a series of legs oppositely located and straddling the concrete wall, said legs being spaced from the wall and in no way deriving support therefrom, elements connecting said legs across the top of the wall and spaced therefrom, and a guide structure for the sections supported on the connecting elements whereby the concrete wall is independent of the guide supporting structure and legs and functions solely as a container for the sealing liquid.

5. In a gas holder of the telescopic sectional type, an outer tank wall constructed of concrete, said wall being of approximately the same thickness at any point in a horizontal plane and devoid of any external reinforcing, a series of legs disposed around the interior of the Wall, a series of legs disposed around the exterior of the wall, said inner and outer legs being spaced from the wall and in no way supported by the wall, and a guide frame structure for the sections of the holder; said guide frame structure being supported by the legs above the top of the wall and spaced therefrom.

JOHN M. CROM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS edition, pages 636, 638, and 677-679. 

